There are countless travel sites available on the web that detail the best things to do in every major city on the planet. But with so many options, actually booking a trip is a major hassle: attractions may close on seemingly random days, or may require reservations weeks in advance.
GoPlanit is a travel site that aims to simplify this process by generating your schedule for you. The site features a database of attractions that includes their operating hours as well as an estimate for how much time each will consume.
After specifying a city, users simply click “Plan It!”, and the site will present an iCal-esque calendar filled to the brim with activities, taking operating hours and durations into account. Users are free to customize these schedules by deleting or resizing them, and can click “Plan It” again to have the gaps filled with new activities. The calendar also includes links to reservation and ticketing systems when possible, further streamlining the process (part of the company’s monetization model relies on fees generated from these affiliates).
After planning the trip, the site produces a basic travel guide with information on each activity, which can also be accessed through a mobile iPhone app. It can also generate a photo blog on the fly, tagging each photo with your location (since it knows where you’ll be during your trip).
Other sites in the travel space that offer some similar functionality include Dave Sifry’s OffBeat Guides, which generates travel guides on the fly, and Zicasso.
GoPlanit launched at TechCrunch50 during the Research and Recommendations session. You can watch a video of its presentation here.
Expert Panelists
Loic – I like the idea. What’s the business model?
GoPlanIt – We’ve got 3 revenue streams. Hyper-targeted advertising since we know interests, where you will be at time and date. Also affiliate programs, any time someone books, we get a portion of the revenue. Third, we’re working on whitelabel solutions for some small and medium businesses.